Antibiotic coating reduces penile prosthesis infection

Aim. To evaluate the efficacy of a new antibiotic-coated (rifampicin + monocycline) penile prosthesis in prevention of bacterial adhesion and reduction of penile prosthesis infection. Methods. In a retrospective analysis of medical records of men who had undergone implantation of American Medical Systems (AMS) inflatable penile prostheses between July 1990 and November 2 003, we compared patients with AMS antibiotic-coated prostheses and patients with AMS nonantibiotic-coated prostheses. A total of 152 men aged from 27 to 79 years with erectile dysfunction underwent implantation of the AMS inflatable penile prosthesis. Fifty-eight patients received the antibiotic-coated prosthesis between July 2001 and November 2003, and 94 patients received the nonantibiotic-coated prosthesis between July 1990 and June 2001. Results. In most cases infection was present; it was detected 1-2 days or up to 3-6 months after implantation. Complications including infection, which required surgical intervention, were observed in 15 patients of the nonantibiotic-coated prosthesis group (three reoperations for infection), and noninfection-related failure in five patients of the antibiotic-coated prosthesis group. In the nonantibiotic-coated prosthesis group of patients, time to infection ranged from I day to 6 months (mean 3.5 months). The antibiotic-coated prosthesis group of patients immediately after surgery and during the short- and intermediate-term follow-up had no infection of the penile prosthesis. Conclusions. We suggest that the antibiotic locally delivered from the prosthesis coating might be an effective supplement for prevention of prosthesis-related infection in penile prosthesis surgery.